Girls' Night
by Gorramit Girl
Summary: Devastated by the departure of Damon and Stefan, Elena withdraws into herself to grieve. Luckily for her the bonds of friendship prove strong as Bonnie, Caroline, and Rebekah soon make it their mission to cheer her up. 5th in the Family Business Series.
1. Part 1 of 2

**A/N**: This was an absolute blast to write. I basically loved every moment of writing it, to be honest, even when it was being difficult. The title doesn't come from any song (which feels kind of weird, to be honest) but "Girls' Night" just makes the most sense. :D Many thanks to LJ's **Jedi_of_Urth** for for beta-reading this for me.

**Girl's Night – 1/2**

()()()()

Elena's newfound belief that she could be happy disappeared much faster than it had developed.

After setting things right with Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, Matt, and Alaric, she'd slipped into a false sense of security, a naïve sense that her transition into being a vampire was going to be smooth sailing from there on out. After all, hadn't she been so happy those first few hours with Elijah? Hadn't she taken to blood bags fairly well? Hadn't she kept all the traits that had made her so...human? She had a great, uplifting feeling that her worst days were behind her.

It hadn't lasted.

Elena had been home from Denver for two weeks when Damon and Stefan Salvatore had quietly disappeared. They'd left the Friday school let out for holiday break. Their departure had been the pebble that sent cracks branching out and crumbling the naïve peace she'd believed she'd made. Elena had known they were going to leave, had known they would only be in Mystic Falls for a short while after she'd returned from Denver. When Stefan had told her of their plans, she'd known it would be best if she didn't try to see them again (and she hadn't). Yet Elena had somehow compartmentalized it, let herself believe it wasn't really true, that if she didn't dwell on it, it wouldn't happen.

But it _had_ happened. Damon and Stefan had left with nary a final word to anyone except Alaric and Liz Forbes. The boarding house, now locked up, was eerily silent. Alaric was now standing in for both the Gilberts and the Salvatores on the Founders' Council. Damon's liquor stash had been left at Alaric's apartment as a "Farewell, dick" (those had been the actual words on the note; Alaric had taken a picture) gift.

And just like that it was as if all the progress she'd made over the past few weeks had slipped away, a reality turned distant dream. When it rained in Elena Gilbert's life, it poured.

Elena had cried for the better part of two days and her newfound family had left her to grieve in peace. They might not have shared her care for the brothers (Finn and Elijah were fairly neutral on the matter; Kol in particular downright despised them, Rebekah would have been happy to see Damon drawn and quartered, and Klaus was still not over Stefan's rejection of his offer of friendship), but none of them could begrudge Elena her feelings, especially given the history Elena and the Salvatores had shared. They also weren't entirely sure how to help her through it. Years spent on the run, locked in coffins, or obsessing over breaking curses didn't lend themselves well to comforting a teenage girl with out-of-control emotions who had just lost two of the people she cared about most.

Caught in a spiral of guilt, anger, loneliness, sadness, and self-pity, Elena shied away from those closest to her. It hadn't been hard to fall back into that old behavior given the perfect storm of circumstances. Immediately after school (and before any of them had realized Damon and Stefan had left) Caroline and Bonnie had taken off for a few days to help Abby. The very next day, an extremely angry Elijah had been called away on what Klaus had delicately described as "unavoidable business." Had she still been human (well, none of it would have happened), she would have eventually been okay once she'd snapped into dealing-Elena; but now? It was all horribly overwhelming.

It left Elijah at a loss when he realized how serious her condition was; he wasn't jealous _per se_, but he knew it would be a long time before Elena could let go of the Salvatore brothers completely, at least in her heart. It also made him feel as though he might have pressed her too far, too fast. She'd not been a vampire for even an hour before he'd made his desire for her known. She'd had so many things to deal with, relationships with her family and friends to set right - yet he'd been selfish with her.

He wasn't sure how to comfort her in this matter - he knew that she understood the Salvatores' decision to leave Mystic Falls was for the best (just as he did), but it wouldn't lessen the feeling of abandonment a newly-turned vampire would feel after losing two men she'd loved and cared for deeply. The fact that he'd had to leave her the day after Damon and Stefan left was something that had deeply upset him. He violently cursed his people in Salzburg; he and his partner in the venture had given them such explicit instructions and there had still been problems. Had he not set it right immediately, he'd have stood to lose something very precious to many.

He hadn't had much of an idea what to do until he'd arrived home and had been immediately pulled aside into a sitting room by his sister.

Elena, he'd found out from Rebekah, had been keeping to herself and had hardly come out of her room. She was drinking the least amount of blood she could get by with and she cried all night long. Kol, Finn, and Klaus were wary of going near her - crying women who weren't Rebekah terrified them (and even with her they were uneasy). "I'm actually worried about her," Rebekah said. "And you leaving didn't help." Her gaze was accusing.

"You know that I didn't want to leave," he said tiredly. "Had it been for any other reason-"

"You'd have never gone, I know." Rebekah said grudgingly, recalling the ire with which he'd (finally) taken the phone call that had prompted him away. Then softer, "It's taken care of, then?"

He nodded. "Ulric will be able to handle the rest for the time being. He'll let me know if any more problems arise."

"Go and see her, please," Rebekah begged.

He was up the stairs before she'd even finished her plea. After all, before his sister had pulled him aside he'd intended to go to Elena immediately.

()()()()

Elena was in her room, sitting at her window, diary in her lap. She looked ragged and worn down. There was an air of immeasurable sadness about her, as if the burdens she felt were seconds away from consuming her completely. He couldn't help but notice, however, that even in her grief she was beautiful.

When she saw him, a weak but genuine smile graced her face; that was something at least.

He spotted a bowl of ice sitting on her dresser, a blood bag chilling atop it. (It was one of many little tricks Kol had taught her during their time in Denver.) He picked the bag up and walking over to where she sat, handed it to her before pulling up a chair. "Please," he implored.

Elena closed her diary and set it aside. She bit into the bag and closed her eyes in appreciation as the blood hit the back of her throat. Her complexion started to return to its usual olive hue and her whole posture changed; she looked far more relaxed.

"I am so sorry for leaving," he said quietly as he studied her, noting the damage four days of turmoil had wrought.

"Klaus said it was something you couldn't ignore. Business." Elena's voice was equally quiet.

He nodded. "I hated to leave you, but I'd given my word. Had it been for any other reason I never would have left."

Elena nodded her understanding; she knew what his word meant. "Is it going to be okay? Whatever you needed to take care of?"

"Yes. It's in exceptionally capable hands."

"Can I ask what it was?"

Elijah smiled. "I have a friend who resides in Salzburg; he and I are anonymous sponsors of several medical clinics for the poor around Austria and Germany."

"Is he a vampire, too?"

He nodded. "One of the few I ever bothered to turn."

That little tidbit interested her; he'd rarely spoken of his life before he met her, save the time when he'd explained the history behind the sun and the moon curse, and she'd never really thought about if he'd turned many others in his long life.

"And you two just got bored one day and decided to sponsor the medical field?" That seemed a little too…well, _clean_ for Elijah. She'd seen him rip out hearts and literally hit a man's head off, after all.

Elijah smirked. "When I first met him in Germany, sickness was prevalent. Ulric was alone in trying to tend to those who could not tend themselves. Then the sickness took him. His only concern with dying was that there would be no one to care for those most in need of it." Elijah sighed. "It was after a particularly dark point in my life and yet here was one simple man, unconcerned for himself and wanting to help others. It…it fascinated me and so I turned him. I had a ring made for him and he continued his work."

"He sounds like a real saint," Elena remarked.

Elijah outright laughed. "I assure you, Ulric is far from sainthood. He's deeply ambitious as well as extremely manipulative. He's so charming and gifted with words that I do believe he could convince the sky it was orange if he put his mind to it." He laughed again, genuinely amused.

"But you two are friends?"

"We share a few commonalities," Elijah allowed with a smile.

"When was all of this?" Elena asked. With how long he'd lived, it was hard for her to pin down. Her European history wasn't as polished as her US History.

"Back in 1527," he answered. It had been the decade after Klaus had run off Kol for the third time, prompting Elijah to strike out on his own.

"And how long have you two been doing this?"

"Nearly two hundred years."

"What went wrong?"

"There was an issue with permits and renewals, as well as the licensing of a few doctors we ensure are employed at the clinics. We had to do some persuading." He gave that wry smile of his that let her know that some of the persuading had led to several people having very bad days.

Elena nodded; it had been about helping people - which she understood all too well. But then something about the way he'd worded it sent up a flare in her mind – something that didn't ring quite right. "The doctors you mentioned - they're vampires, aren't they?"

Elijah smirked again, pleased with her deduction. "Yes. One of them is actually Ulric's son. It's tricky sometimes, rotating them in and out of locations. Sooner or later humans start noticing they don't age. We have to make sure enough time passes that they won't be recognized by anyone when we relocate them."

Elena could hardly believe what she was hearing. "What do the two of you get out of it?" Again, it all seemed too pure for vampires.

Elijah arched a brow, encouraging her to think it out. "Blood," she said finally, looking down at the empty blood bag beside her and realizing many of the bags she'd been drinking from had had foreign labels on them. "It's how you get your blood supply."

"Part of it, at least. My family and Ulric's are old enough that we don't need much. A few pints a week is more than sufficient and with the number of clinics we operate, there's never a true shortage." Elijah shrugged.

"What did you guys do before blood bags?" Elena asked. She'd researched the history of blood donation one day out of sheer boredom.

"We lived in the area," Elijah said in explanation. "Sometimes we fed under the guise of visiting relatives, other times blood was let into bottles and the bottles were delivered to our residences. The bags are much more convenient." He tilted his head in consideration. "The system we have in place works well. We get the sustenance we need and the surrounding areas receive the medical care they need. Our doctors are also able to help with some of the more extreme cases," he added pointedly.

Maybe it meant her morals were truly torn to shreds (and really, she had to admit, they'd been frayed long before she'd become a vampire), but Elena thought it made sense in a practical sort of way. The more she thought about it, the more okay with it she was. It was easier to accept when Elijah was speaking about it so matter-of-factly. She could understand why it had been so urgent for him to leave. Which started it all over again...

"How long until you have to leave again?" she asked quietly, realizing her moment of calm was quickly fading.

Sensing her impending breakdown, Elijah shifted and pulled her gently from the window seat and into his arms, blanket and all. "I don't plan to leave you anytime soon," he assured her.

She desperately tried to relax in his arms. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She could feel her emotions stirring, everything she'd tried to keep in check rising up in an overwhelming tempest.

"You have nothing to sorry for. You're hurting; no one blames you for it."

"I was doing so well!" she cried in frustration. "I was getting better!"

"You were running on an extended emotional high, Elena, which isn't uncommon for us when we first turn. You had to come down eventually. I'm very sorry that it took such a heavy blow for it to happen."

"It hurts so much," she whispered. "The sadness is unbearable. Then I get so angry with myself because I should understand that leaving is what they needed to do. And then somehow I get even angrier at myself because I shouldn't expect to be perfect at this!" She was crying now, shaking in his arms. "Everything is just-" she paused, frustrated. "It's too much. Elijah, I feel _everything_ and it hurts so much."

He rocked her slightly, letting her cry and release her pain. She calmed down after nearly a half an hour, which was actually quite astonishing, given some of the fits Rebekah and Kol had had back in their earliest days.

"I'm so sorry," he said again. He cursed his contacts' incompetence for what had to have been the millionth time.

Elena shook her head. "I can't expect you to be glued to my side day in and day out. I can't trap you here, it's not fair to you."

"Being with you is the farthest thing from a trap there is." He brushed her hair away from her face - tucking the errant, slightly curly strands behind her ears.

"What would you be doing if I wasn't here?"

"I would be dead," he said bluntly. "We would both be dead." She turned her head away. "Elena, look at me." She did so slowly, self-recrimination in her eyes. "There is no place I would rather be than by your side."

"You really mean that," she said in wonderment.

"I do." He continued to hold her, feeling her relax into him as her troubled mind began to settle down after running full-throttle and then some. She started yawning deeply; she hadn't slept well and she'd learned that even vampires - especially young ones like herself and Caroline, needed sleep.

"I'd like to lay down now," she said with another great yawn.

He stood, lifting her as he did so. He made to carry her over to her bed but she shook her head. "Can I sleep in your room?"

"Of course," he said, turning towards the bathroom that connected their rooms.

When he gently laid her down on his bed she instantly curled up. "Stay with me? Until I'm asleep?"

He went through his usual ritual of shedding his coat and tie, unbuttoning his sleeves and the top few buttons of his shirt. He toed his shoes off and joined her. She shifted to be closer to him and he held her until she drifted off to sleep.

His heart ached for her and he wanted nothing more than to ease her pain.

()()()()

"How is she?" his sister prompted as he joined his sister out in the garden. Despite the frosty weather, the garden, in its starkness, was still quite beautiful.

"You've grown to care for her," Elijah said simply. It was quite a turn from when he'd had to attack her just to keep Elena safe.

Rebekah looked uncomfortable. "Elena's not that bad. And she did save my life."

"And?" Elijah prompted, knowing there was more.

"I feel sorry for her, alright?" Rebekah snapped. "She doesn't deserve the misery she's going through; the Salvatores just aren't worth that kind of energy." Her voice grew quiet. "Elena and I were nearly friends once. Maybe this time we'll get it right, now that her old boyfriends and Klaus have stopped fighting." She shook her head; Rebekah never liked appearing vulnerable. "You never answered my question. How is she?"

"I've talked with her and calmed her down a bit. She asked me when I was leaving again and I told her not for a long time. Yet I worry that I smother her," Elijah said. Elena was fast asleep and he'd showered and changed after an excruciatingly long flight. He worried that Elena's being with him was too much for her in addition to everything else she was going through.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "If you smothered her she probably wouldn't have spent the nights you were gone in your room, in your bed." She shook her head. _Men._ "I don't know how to help her. I never had much time for making friends when I was on the run with Nik. And growing up I had brothers who were determined to keep me from having fun with anyone who wasn't them." She added pointedly.

Elijah smiled slightly at the memory. They'd all been so protective of their younger sister. "Has she talked with Bonnie or Caroline at least?" he asked. "Her brother?"

"She's been a recluse," Rebekah said, going out of her way to step on a leaf that looked particularly crunchy – a habit she hadn't out-grown in a thousand years. "I had to leave the blood bags outside your door! And you know she'd never bother her brother with something as _trivial_ as this."

"Then perhaps we could call her friends over," Elijah said. "They _are_ her family; being with them should do her good."

Rebekah shrugged, clearly out of her element. "I can't see how it would hurt."

Elijah knew Elena's behavior was amplified from what it would have been as a human. She was going back into what he suspected was her default coping mechanism - keeping to herself so as not to be a burden on anyone else. He figured she'd stay that way until she could put up a convincing front of being "fine." Such behavior could cause a problem when she sometimes didn't see how it hurt those around her that she wouldn't confide in them. More importantly, she didn't see the damage she did herself in keeping all her feelings inside. _Selflessness to the point of selfishness,_ he thought wryly.

()()()()

Elijah tried to convince himself that 7:00pm was a perfectly respectable hour to go knocking on a vampire-hunting Sheriff's door, asking to speak with her 18-year-old vampire daughter.

He respected Liz Forbes. From his observations, she knew her duty well, and had only ever bent it in order to keep her daughter safe and eventually to keep her daughter's friends' supernatural status a secret. He admired that devotion to family. She was capable and devoted to her hometown, even as she sometimes felt disenchanted with its obsession with the past.

She greeted him quickly, stepping out onto her porch with a cautious air. She was still dressed in her uniform and was clutching a napkin in one hand as she held a gun in her other. "Mr. Mikaelson," she greeted stiffly.

"Sheriff Forbes," he said genially. "I was hoping that Miss Forbes would be available for a few moments."

Her eyes narrowed slightly; he was sure her reaction had something to do with Klaus and his obsession with the young woman. "She's with a friend right now."

"Miss Bennett, I hope. It would make my task easier."

Liz's grip on her gun tightened. "What task?"

Elijah kept his tone even; the woman had every reason to not trust him. It had to be unnerving for her to have spent a lifetime dedicated to keeping a town safe from vampires, only to have the oldest vampires in existence establish a residency in the area. Not to mention that Klaus had nearly killed her daughter to prove a point only to later show up to save her. "I assure you, I mean them no harm. I've come to ask them to help Elena Gilbert."

Liz's gaze softened and she holstered her gun. "How is she?"

"She is struggling," he admitted. "She's come very far, very fast; but the adjustment to this life is a difficult one. The departure of the Salvatores has not been easy on her, either."

"What did those two do this time?" came Caroline's voice. "Tell me they haven't actually come back to make her feel even worse."

Caroline stood at the door, Bonnie right beside her. The pair of them looked concerned.

Elijah shook his head. "No," he said. "They are gone. I'm afraid however, that Elena is not taking their absence well. It's been something of a blow in addition to the recent changes in her life. According to Rebekah, she's been keeping to her room and barely eating."

Bonnie nodded sadly. "It's like when her parents died, all over again."

"Has she been avoiding you?" Elijah asked.

"We just got back into town tonight," Caroline said. "Bonnie's mother..."

"Abby called a few days ago. She needed my help; I had to go," Bonnie said. "Caroline came along because we thought that you-"

"I had business," Elijah explained, easily pushing away the small tendril of guilt that had creeped up at the mention of Bonnie's newly-vampire mother. "It was unavoidable, I'm afraid. I myself returned just today. Rebekah has been looking after her, but she is not very experienced in these matters, having grown up around five brothers."

"What exactly are you wanting, Mr. Mikaelson?" Sheriff Forbes interrupted.

"I believe that Elena may benefit from the ritual that is called girls' night," he said. "Or is it called a slumber party?"

"The terms are pretty interchangeable," Bonnie clarified. "Along with sleepover."

"Yes, well, from what I understand, girls gather for the night while eating ice cream and watching mindless drivel in the name of support and sisterhood." He tilted his head. "Am I anywhere in the ballpark?"

Caroline snorted. "Close, but not quite."

Bonnie nodded her agreement. "There's so much more than you give it credit for."

Even Liz wore a slight smirk. "I wouldn't worry too much. These girls are experts when it comes to this sort of thing."

"We'll take care of everything," Caroline affirmed. He could see the wheels already turning in her head; she was the most organized, efficient young woman he'd met in decades.

"My gratitude," Elijah acknowledged. "I will leave you to your meal. I apologize for the interruption."

"Thanks. And could you do me a favor?" Liz asked as she went inside and made to close the door.

Elijah arched a brow.

"Tell your brother Klaus to stop calling my daughter."

He smirked. His brother, ever the obsessed stalker. "I will."

He left and made his way back home, hopeful that Elena's mood would soon be lifted.

()()()()

TBC


	2. Part 2 of 2

**A/N**: This was an absolute blast to write. I basically loved every moment of writing it, to be honest, even when it was being difficult. The title doesn't come from any song (which feels kind of weird, to be honest) but "Girls' Night" just makes the most sense. :D Many thanks to LJ's **Jedi_of_Urth** for for beta-reading this for me.

**Girl's Night – 2/2**

()()()()

Bonnie, Caroline, and (to everyone's surprise) Rebekah, had rallied valiantly to rescue Elena from her dark mood. Liz Forbes had been correct: Bonnie and Caroline knew everything there was to know about supporting a best friend and getting her over troubled times. No doubt Rebekah would learn quickly from such masters. The next afternoon the manor had been besieged by the two teenage girls, and while Rebekah had hovered in the background, unsure of how to behave, Elena had smiled gratefully and let herself be swarmed in a sea of hugs and 'I'm so sorry's and 'We'll get through this's.

As the girls disappeared upstairs, Elijah ensconced himself in his library. He was well aware his brothers were also keeping to themselves after Rebekah's threat earlier. ("Interrupt my first girls' night and I'll rip your spleens out!")

()()()()

Bonnie had brought their favorite movies while Caroline had provided several pints of ice cream. Rebekah had triumphantly revealed a bottle of wine that had come from a cask dating back to 1727. "I nicked it from Elijah's collection. He'll get over it eventually." They'd all gathered in Rebekah's room and settled themselves in for a night of quality girl time.

("Why are we wearing nightclothes?" Rebekah asked. "We're not sleeping."

"Because that's what you do during a slumber party!" Caroline said eagerly.

"Why?" It didn't make sense to her.

"You just do!")

()()()()

"Elena Gilbert," Caroline asked as she braided Bonnie's hair. "Would you do the honors and select our first movie?"

"I'd love to," Elena said, though moving wouldn't have been her first choice. Rebekah was brushing Elena's hair and it felt divine, but the code of girls' night was sacred.

Leaning over, she eyed the selection... _Moulin Rouge_, _Ghostbusters_, _The Notebook_, _Stardust_, _Titanic_, _Mean Girls_, _Casablanca_, and _Without A Paddle_... It was a collection of all the favorites Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline had enjoyed watching together. Rebekah had no idea what to think, but was just happy to be a part of everything.

"It feels like a _Moulin Rouge_ kind of night," Elena decided playfully.

Bonnie closed her eyes and relaxed her body. The DVD case floated over to the entertainment center and opened itself. The DVD was loaded into the player and the giant television turned on. She opened her eyes when the menu screen came up, pleased with her handiwork.

"Nicely done," Elena said.

"Thank you very much." Grinning, Bonnie turned her attention to Rebekah. "Okay, you're figuring everything out just great. But there's one rule we're going to have to add for you."

Rebekah nodded seriously - this was her very first slumber party. Elena envied her the reverence she had for teenage rituals, things Elena had always taken for granted. It was kind of nice, experiencing them anew through Rebekah's eyes.

"When we watch these movies, there will be absolutely no pointing out historical inaccuracies, no matter how bad the movie got it wrong." Bonnie grimaced and explained the reasoning, lest Rebekah think they were picking on her. "One time we were hanging out at Elena's house just wasting an afternoon and Stefan came over. He completely ruined _Singing in the Rain_."

Caroline let out an audible groan at the memory. "I love him to pieces but he is the _worst_ to watch a movie with."

"It's a promise," Rebekah said as Elena sighed. She continued to comb her fingers through the dark hair, gently massaging Elena's scalp. "Though if you ever do want an accurate accounting of the Titanic, I'll be happy to share." She smiled slyly and started to section off Elena's hair.

Bonnie dimmed the lights with her magic and the movie began to play.

()()()()

Scattered throughout the mansion the Mikaelson brothers suddenly heard three voices ring out in song. _"There waaaaas a booooy! A very strange, enchanted booooy!"_

It was going to be a long night.

()()()()

"Pick your poison," Caroline offered to Rebekah. They'd taken a short sojourn to the kitchen upon finishing their second movie. It was time for ice cream.

Looking at the selection stored in the freezer, Rebekah's eyes went wide. "All of this for the four of us?"

"This is actually us going light," Caroline said. She looked over at Elena. "Christine from the grocery store says hi."

Elena smiled. "Well?" she prompted.

Hesitantly, Rebekah picked out a pint of neopolitan. "This one, I suppose."

"An excellent choice," Bonnie enthused.

Elena showed no hesitation in claiming a pint of moose tracks, while Bonnie made for the mint chocolate chip and handed Caroline the cookie dough. Caroline also held a bowl of ice - on top of which several blood bags were chilling, following Elena's advice.

"Where do you keep the spoons?" Bonnie asked.

"Second drawer to the right of the sink," Rebekah said.

Elena, closest to the drawer, gathered the spoons and the four of them marched back upstairs to Rebekah's room. A door quickly closed and they could hear Finn's quiet but panicked "It is not safe, they have come back!" followed by Klaus's "It's like hiding from the wolves all over again."

()()()()

"You're kidding!" Rebekah insisted with a giggle. Her face was covered in a blue mask of lotion while Caroline was diligently painting her toenails a flashy purple.

"No, we're not!" Bonnie laughed, making it hard for Elena to apply a coat of deep pink on her friend's toenails. "It was the coldest night of the summer, we were camping out in Caroline's back yard at three in the morning, and I had to do cartwheels – naked – for two minutes!"

Elena howled in laughter. "You were so cold by the time we all got back in the tent! Caroline ended up getting five more blankets from inside!"

"I would have been livid," Rebekah said, leaning back against her bed, though a smirk was apparent even through the facemask. Caroline was on her other foot now.

Bonnie nodded. "Oh, I was!" She laughed evilly. "I got them back good though, eventually."

Elena nodded and shuddered at the memory. "I had to ask Matt's mother for tampons - in front of Matt. For two weeks he acted like I had the plague."

"Like that compares with the total humiliation of getting a zit and not being allowed to cover it up for a whole week!" Caroline muttered darkly. "School had just started!"

"Why do you do these things to each other?" Rebekah asked. "You're friends."

Bonnie grinned. "It's just teasing," she said. "We don't really mean anything by it."

Caroline and Elena nodded. "She's right," Caroline said. "We'd never really hurt each other."

"We've gone through spats and had our differences, but we always manage to pull through," Elena added. "We're like sisters."

"It seems a strange way to show affection," Rebekah said, pulling off the cucumber slices over her eyes and studying her newly-purple toenails.

"Didn't you ever play tricks on your brothers? Or did they ever play tricks on each other or you?" Elena asked.

"There was the time they wouldn't let Henrik or I swim with them. So we finally decided to leave – after we stole their clothes when they weren't looking." She giggled. "Mikael was furious with them when he found out they'd had to sneak back into the village, naked, in mid-afternoon."

"You and Henrik didn't get into trouble for taking their clothes?" Bonnie asked skeptically.

Rebekah shook her head, looking pleased. "No, Mother actually scolded them for not keeping a closer eye on us."

"There's no way they would have let that go," Elena said. "Klaus is too much of a sore loser and Kol never misses a chance for chaos."

Rebekah's smile turned sour. "There was a boy in the village I fancied. The four of them scared him off, right as I was about to let him steal a kiss." She sighed. "Poor Erik; scared to death by my brothers and ending up married to some whey-faced girl from another village."

"It was _that_ bad?" Caroline asked.

"Well, Ragnar, Erik's father, had been talking with Mikael about arranging a marriage between us before it happened. Then, when Erik was roughed up by Nik and the others, Ragnar stormed over and said any thought of marriage was now gone. Mikael laughed in his face." Her look turned stony. "Then Ragnar implied I was a whore, leading his son on for my own amusement and Mikael nearly killed him."

It was such a far cry from how Elena and the others had viewed Esther and Mikael. The parents they'd known had wanted nothing more than to kill their children, a radical shift from a time when they'd been so desperate to keep them alive that they'd made them nigh immortal. Elena also couldn't help but notice how Rebekah still had a hard time referring to Esther as 'Esther' rather than 'Mother,' as her siblings had already mastered. Years on the run from Mikael, however, had firmly erased most thoughts of him as 'Father.'

"That's pretty intense," Caroline said, unsure of how to take Rebekah's story. In truth, when it came to speaking bluntly and tactlessly, Elena thought Rebekah was the one person alive who could give Caroline a run for her money.

"Mikael was very protective of us, especially me," Rebekah said. "But there are better things to talk about, right? _Mean Girls_ had a spring dance. Do we get one?" She looked expectantly at Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena.

"Yes, we do," Elena said. "The pinnacle of high school - senior prom."

"It'll have to do, considering you guys missed the Decade Dance while you were living it up in Denver," Caroline said.

"How was it?" Elena asked.

"Ugh. The 70's. Bell-bottoms, polyester, and bad hair abounded. The stoners were in their element, which really wasn't very different from the 60's decade dance," Caroline explained. "You honestly didn't miss much." She looked to Rebekah. "I tried for the 1920s like you suggested but I got overruled. Kelly Whitmore from third period said we had to follow the order: 50s, 60s, whatever."

"How did someone overrule you?" Elena asked incredulously. "You're head of the planning committee!"

"I was having an off day. And you weren't going to be there, so..." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Bobby Benson and Heath Rhodes are on the committee too, and we all know that they'll agree with whatever Kelly says, even though they're both so out of their league with her."

Bonnie just sighed. "On the bright side nothing tragic happened except for Matt's unfortunate dancing."

"Tell me you got a video!" Elena said instantly.

"Oh, yes," Bonnie said with a wicked smile. "I had to make sure you could share in our glee."

"He was quite charming at the ball," Rebekah said. "He danced well."

"Oh, sure, at formal dancing, he's great. Real dancing? He's horrific." Caroline giggled.

"Everyone here seems to know how to dance formally."

Bonnie shrugged. "Mystic Falls places a lot of emphasis on the past. Formal dancing is part of that - we're taught in gym glass at school."

"You haven't danced until you've waltzed at a ball during the Season in London. The punch was terrible and the company could be awfully boring but the dancing was divine."

"Was the ball you guys threw the closest you've come since?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes."

"It was impressive," Elena said. Then she smirked. "Even when Elijah was standing on the stairs, lying his ass off while he gave that opening spiel."

Rebekah giggled. "He _hated_ that he had to be the one. Finn was too shy, Kol too young, and Mother was certain that Klaus would make everyone uncomfortable."

"You'd think he'd be used to lying after a thousand years," Caroline said. Then she realized what she'd implied and gave an apologetic grimace. "That didn't come out right."

"No, we're very accomplished liars. He just doesn't like doing it." Rebekah poured herself another glass of wine. "How long does this mask stuff have to stay on my face?"

The other three just giggled.

Bonnie put on another movie, and the girls all settled in, wine in hand, to have their hearts absolutely destroyed, in Elena's words.

()()()()

_Elsewhere, sometime later..._

"What do you think Rebekah, Elena, and the other two are doing?" Finn asked. He cast a speculative look at the door.

"I'm trying not to think about it," Klaus said, studying his hand intently. "Have any fives?"

Finn shook his head. "Go fish."

()()()()

_"What easy way? There is no easy way, no matter what I do, somebody gets hurt."_

_"Would you stop thinking about what everyone wants? Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do _you_ want? What do you _want_?"_

_"It's not that simple."_

Rebekah sniffed and looked over at Elena. She had tears running down her face as she leaned into Bonnie, who wrapped a sympathetic arm around her.

Caroline caught Rebekah's eye and mouthed 'Salvatores'. Rebekah nodded, feeling a great swell of pity for the poor girl's plight, as well as immense relief that she herself had distanced herself from the errant brothers. Even with the rage she felt towards Damon for his manipulative seduction of her and the sadness she felt upon realizing that Stefan would never love her again, Rebekah felt as though she'd avoided any true damage. Compared to Elena, Rebekah thought she'd made a miraculous escape.

()()()()

"I shouldn't have been so upset," Elena said. "I was so unfair to the both of them."

"Elena, you were confused and in love and had so many other things to deal with," Bonnie said.

"I loved Stefan and I always thought it would be him. But Damon just... he just sort of crept up on me and threw me for a loop. And when I realized that I had feelings for the both of them?" She shook her head. "I just wish I could have been more decisive, but I never wanted to worry about it. And when I did, I just kept thinking, 'tomorrow, tomorrow I'll know'." She sniffed. "And it never happened. I never did know."

"I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you to make a choice," Caroline offered. She felt terrible for her insistance upon Elena choosing one of the brothers, especially seeing how affected Elena was now.

"How could you decide, when you'd already lost so much?" Rebekah asked. "They seemed to always put you in the middle, which wasn't very fair of them."

"Katherine said it was okay to love them both, and I _did_ and I think a part of me always will. But I wish I'd have realized sooner that I couldn't have been with either of them. Maybe they wouldn't have been so hurt."

"And what about your hurt?" Rebekah asked indignantly. "They're over a hundred and fifty years old! They're responsible for their own feelings. It wasn't your job to be their savior."

"Maybe," Elena allowed.

"Definitely!" Bonnie insisted. "They had to have known that it would end badly. It had already happened once before."

"Elena," Caroline said. "You were young and in love and the two of them were in love with you. It was okay to be conflicted, even if we weren't the most understanding about it."

"Two good-looking, emotionally repressed and damaged guys like the Salvatores? There was no way it was ever going to end well," Bonnie said. "Someone was going to get hurt, no matter what, and you had to do what was best for you. You've never set out to intentionally hurt someone." She paused. "Except for Rusty Bayless in fourth grade, but that little rat had it coming."

Elena giggled through her tears. "You guys are the best."

Mass hugging ensued.

()()()()

_Elsewhere..._

"It was just going to be one little prank!" Kol was fighting against Elijah's grip on his neck.

"Rebekah asked for us to leave them alone," Elijah said. He gave up restraint and dragged Kol down the hall to where Finn and Klaus had been hiding away in Klaus's office.

He opened the door and shoved Kol inside. Klaus and Finn looked up. They were playing cards.

"I caught him trying to sneak onto Rebekah's balcony." He held up a multi-colored aerosol can with a bright blue lid. The words "Silly String!" were emblazoned on it. "He had a bag full of these."

Kol shot Elijah a withering glare.

"Leave him here," Finn said. Kol gulped and gave Elijah a look of deepest loathing. (Elijah wasn't worried. Kol would get over it within an hour or so, he always did.)

Klaus sighed, resigned to abandoning his card game. "Did you at least hear what they were doing?"

"No," Kol said petulantly, still glaring at Elijah and steadfastly ignoring Finn. "Damned witch was burning sage."

()()()()

"What do you think the men are doing?" Caroline asked.

"Who cares?" Rebekah asked in return. "But judging from the scuffle I heard out by my balcony about twenty minutes ago, I'm guessing that Kol was trying to stir trouble and was caught."

Bonnie went out onto the balcony and spotted a bag full of cans of silly string. She levitated the bag up and into the room. She revealed the contents with a giant smile.

Elena's eyes lit up. "You said they'd stay out of our way for the night?"

Rebekah nodded. "They're probably all in Nik's office. We have run of the entire mansion."

Elena rubbed her hands together. "Does Kol lock his room?" Rebekah shook her head. Elena grinned widely and tossed a few cans at Bonnie, Caroline, and Rebekah. "Excellent. Ladies," she said. "We're going on a little adventure."

()()()()

Minutes later the girls, now dressed in black from head to toe and silent as the grave, crept down the hall.

("How could you have possibly known to prepare for this?" Rebekah asked as Bonnie and Caroline revealed the black outfits in their overnight bags.

"This isn't our first rodeo," Bonnie replied with a grin as Elena reappeared with clothes from her own room.)

Kol's room was spacious and, well, a lot more subdued than Bonnie, Caroline, or Elena would have thought. Nothing about its décor (light blue with a few splashes of zebra print) screamed "Resident Psychopathic Mischief-Courting Deviant." But there were a lot of mirrors.

"I thought coming into Kol's room would be like a trip into the mind of an asshole," Caroline said quietly.

Bonnie had to stifle her snort at the reference.

"Alright, let's do this," Elena said in a whisper. She vigorously shook the cans she was holding and then, after taking aim at the full-length mirror by his closet door, let her finger press down on the trigger.

Caroline and Bonnie made for his bed, while Rebekah caught on and went for his closet.

They worked quietly and efficiently. By the time they were finished, silly string covered Kol's bed, everything hanging in his closet, every mirror in his bedroom and bathroom, the chairs, and the two wooden baseball bats displayed like two swords crossing in a place of honor over the mantle of his fireplace.

"Excellent," Elena said in a low but pleased voice. "Take a good look, Rebekah; you've just completed your first prank during a sleepover."

Rebekah beamed proudly.

"Alright," Bonnie said in the same low voice as Elena. "We're ghosts."

"It means we leave as silently and quickly as possible," Caroline explained at Rebekah's puzzled look.

They did so quickly, gathering up the now-empty cans and disappearing as if they were never there.

Back in Rebekah's room, they changed out of their prank-wear and back into their pajamas. Then they collapsed into heaps of laughter at what they'd just done.

"So," Rebekah said through her laughter. "What's our next movie?"

()()()()

_"Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here."_

_"They caused an explosion!"_

_"Is this true?"_

_"Yes, it's true. This man has no dick."_

Caroline howled with laughter and, eyes widening at the crude humor, so did Rebekah. Elena and Bonnie just chuckled and shook their heads. It was a movie they could quote in its near entirety.

"What a little prick!" Rebekah said. They all stopped a moment and then burst out into more laughter. "You three are the worst," Rebekah said between giggles.

"I love this movie!" Caroline exclaimed. "It never gets old."

()()()()

_Elsewhere_

"I don't like this," Kol said. "Who knows what the four of them could be up to?" He shifted next to Elijah in order to better scratch at an itch on his leg.

"Stop moving," Klaus said from behind his easel. "And stop being so paranoid - that's my job. I highly doubt they're doing anything other than eating ice cream and talking about their feelings."

"Was this absolutely necessary?" Finn asked with a bored sigh.

"I haven't done a family portrait in years," Klaus said. "And cheer up; you're actually alive and present for this one! If it makes you feel any better, Rebekah's going to have to sit in eventually as well. I suppose Elena could as well, if she wants."

Elijah grinned and glanced over at Finn and Kol who still looked less than pleased with Klaus's random idea of passing the time.

"Move your head back," Klaus scolded.

Elijah did so with a roll of his eyes and Klaus contentedly went back to his sketching.

()()()()

"Gee, is there enough for me?" Bonnie joked as Caroline, Elena, and Rebekah all sipped from the chilled blood bags.

Rebekah looked confused.

"She's joking," Caroline explained. "Don't worry though. One day you will speak fluent Bonnie."

Bonnie smirked.

"I want more ice cream," Elena said, licking the stray blood off her lips. "I'm so hungry." She looked at Caroline and Rebekah. "You both were right about food, by the way. It's incredible now."

"I know!" Caroline said excitedly. "At first I couldn't stand it but then it was like I just couldn't stop eating it. It's just the best, next to blood."

"Do you remember the first time you tasted chocolate after turning?" Elena asked Caroline as the four of them made their way back down to the kitchen.

"Yes," Caroline fairly moaned. "It was like tasting pure happiness."

"I've never enjoyed pie so much in my life," Elena said. Then, with a smirk, "And eating it right in front of Matt and Alaric after they'd upset me just made it all the better."

Bonnie laughed. "Matt actually went through with that crazy plan of his?" Elena hadn't brought that small part of the story up; she'd just said the entire thing had been fine when Bonnie and Caroline had asked about her and Matt's meet-up.

"Yeah. We were having such a nice time and I was feeling like maybe I hadn't completely ruined our friendship and then Alaric was there and I just sort of broke down. Tandi thought it was my time of the month and brought me chocolate pie."

"Those little bastards!" Caroline seethed. "I'd told them not to upset you! Oh, Matt's going to get one hell of a talking to! And Alaric - I don't care if he is our teacher!" She looked at Elena accusingly. "I'd wondered what those texts of his were about. Something about you getting upset and then Defcon 1 being averted. Ugh! Why didn't you tell us? You said everything went fine!"

"It's over, Caroline."

"Elena!" Caroline scolded insistently. "You're supposed to tell us when this stuff happens!"

Elena just laughed. "I didn't think they needed to be subjected to your wrath again. It's okay, Care, there's no need to go to war on my behalf. Everything worked out just fine." She grinned. "And Alaric let me make up all the work I'd missed while I was gone and convinced the other teachers to let me, too."

Caroline suddenly looked shifty. "It was a team effort," she said.

"You compelled the teachers?" Bonnie asked.

"It was for Elena!" Caroline said defensively. "There's no way she's not graduating with us this year." She looked at Rebekah curiously. "How did you get around it?"

Rebekah shrugged. "Elijah's very persuasive. He also had forged documents of a study-abroad trip explaining my absence. Nik made them," she clarified.

"Nice," Elena said to Rebekah, impressed, before she checked the freezer. "So, I call the chocolate. There's peanut-butter cup swirl, rocky road, brownie batter, and pecan vanilla left."

"The pecan vanilla is all mine," Bonnie said.

"Have at it," Caroline said. She made a face.

"Brownie batter," Rebekah spoke up. "I want the brownie batter."

()()()()

_Elsewhere_

"Would you get back from that door?"

Finn glared at Klaus and continued to listen with his ear pressed close. "Yes, they are on their way up the stairs."

"They're taking forever!" Kol complained. "Who could possibly need ice cream at this hour?" He glared at his older brothers. "Can I _please_ go back to my room now?"

"No," said Finn. "They are back in Rebekah's room." He left his post at the door.

"Elijah?" Klaus asked. "Any ideas?"

Elijah studied the board in front of him with deep concentration. "Professor Plum, in the billiard room, with the candlestick."

Klaus triumphantly pulled out his card marked 'candlestick.' "Wrong!" he said cheerfully, unable to help himself.

Elijah cursed under his breath.

()()()()

The movie was rolling its credits and Bonnie sleepily managed to turn off the TV and the DVD player. She looked at Caroline, who was curled up in a blanket, fast asleep with her teddy bear, one she brought with her to every sleepover. Elena and Rebekah were sleeping side by side on a mass of pillows. Seeing the time (5:42am), Bonnie grinned and made herself very comfortable indeed on Rebekah's bed.

Girls' night had been a rousing success.

()()()()

Caroline was the first one awake out of the four of them. It was 11:30am and she yawned and stretched loudly. Rebekah stirred next to Elena; and Bonnie too, was in the process of waking up. Elena continued to sleep.

"How late were we up?" Rebekah asked with a yawn.

"Nearly quarter 'til six," Bonnie managed. "This bed is fantastic."

Rebekah smiled. "It's nice, but I try not to sleep too much; a side-effect of being forced to sleep for 90 years in a coffin." Bonnie was growing used to the blunt way Rebekah spoke of things.

Elena let out a great yawn and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked drowsy but cheerful. "Did I miss anything?"

"Just Rebekah and Bonnie bonding over beds." Caroline was up and checking her reflection in the mirror.

"That was an awesome night," Elena said. "I feel fantastic."

"Agreed," Bonnie said. "I think we all needed that."

"I for one, can't wait to see Kol," Rebekah said. "He's going to be so outraged."

The four of them giggled.

"That was _so_ much better than the time we short-sheeted the guys' rooms when we went on the honor roll trip to Chicago back in eighth grade." Caroline looked very smug.

"Well, it was impressive that we didn't get caught that time." Elena had to give credit where it was due.

"I think that might have been my magic," Bonnie considered. "But it was nice to get the one-up on Kol. Something about that smug little face of his just bothers me."

Rebekah and Elena nodded sympathetically.

"Well," Caroline said. "I don't know about you three, but I'm starving."

The three of them cleaned up and dressed and after a quick tour of Elena's room ("It was Elijah's idea, he wanted me to have my own space."), made their way down to the kitchen.

()()()()

They were sitting down at the counter, all with a bowl of cereal and all but Bonnie with blood bags, when a furious shout echoed throughout the mansion.

"MY MIRRORS! AND MY BATS!"

The laughter from the other men could be heard and Bonnie looked to the door as Kol came speeding in, looking wrathful. He made for them and was stopped, crashing against an invisible barrier that sent him sprawling to the floor.

"Admit it, Kol," Elena said with a smile as he stood up again. "It was good."

Kol glared at her. "You trashed my room!"

Elena gave him a look that indicated she was thoroughly unimpressed with his tantrum. "Your point?"

"Come off it," Rebekah said. "Like it won't take you all of five minutes to clean up."

Kol just shook his head. "This isn't over, Elena." He said darkly.

"I should hope not." Elena laughed, completely unworried.

"Just keep it above the waist next time," Kol said with a sudden grin. He looked at the other three. "I'll be watching you." He grabbed a bag of blood out of the refrigerator and left, muttering something about mirrors under his breath.

"You have no idea what you've just unleashed," Rebekah told Elena.

"Oh, don't worry," Caroline said. "Elena can take him."

Bonnie nodded. "Kol won't know what hit him."

Elena grinned. "I've missed this," she said. "I've missed being Fun-Elena."

"It's great to see shades of her popping up here and there," Bonnie agreed.

"Are you going to be okay?" Caroline asked. "After we leave?"

Elena nodded slowly. "You know, I think I will be."

()()()()

Caroline and Bonnie packed their bags and the four girls made their way down the stairs and out to Bonnie's car. There was a flurry of hugs and good-byes and promises to do a girls' night again, soon.

When Bonnie and Caroline were gone, Elena surprised Rebekah by hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much," Elena said.

"You're welcome," Rebekah said softly. "Thanks for letting me join you and your friends."

"Any time," Elena said sincerely. "I'm glad you and I aren't worried about wanting to kill each other all the time."

"Agreed," Rebekah said with a laugh.

The two of them went back inside and cleaned up the remaining mess in Rebekah's room, delighting in the anguished moans heard from Kol's room as he worked to get rid of the silly string.

()()()()

Elijah walked into his room, hair wet and a towel wrapped around his waist to find Elena sitting on his bed. "Hello," he said with a smile.

"Hi." She smiled back.

He went about selecting a suit and dressing. "Did you enjoy your night?" he asked.

Elena nodded. "A lot. It was nice to have that small bit of normal in my life again." She cocked her head. "What did you guys do all night?"

Elijah paused as he was pulling his pants on. "I did some reading."

"And?" Elena pressed with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, there was some fraternal bonding," he said. "Nothing terribly interesting, save stopping Kol from being his usual self."

Elena giggled. "You're a man of mystery, Elijah. I like it."

Elijah smirked.

"What are your plans for today?" Elena asked, and then yawned widely.

"Nothing pressing," he said. "You look as tired as I feel."

"Slumber parties aren't exactly meant for sleeping," Elena said with another yawn.

"Neither is fraternal bonding," Elijah explained.

"Then maybe we should just lie down," Elena said, and did so.

With a small smile, Elijah undid the button of his pants and slid them off. He changed them for a pair of pajama pants and promptly joined her. She instantly curled her body to his the way she preferred and yawned again. "Thank you," she whispered tiredly. "Thank you so much for asking them over. It was exactly what I needed."

He kissed the top of her head. "You are welcome, my lovely Elena," he said softly.

She was already asleep.

The End.

**A/N**: Thanks for reading! This story is followed by the 6th fic in the series, "Circuital (Round and Round Patiently)," which can be found by accessing my user profile, as it was posted here before any of the other stories in this series.


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